It's true that inspiration can come from any and everywhere. For designer Miles Redd, a work of art in his home proved the jumping-off point for his new Dogwood Leaf print for Schumacher, a fresh take on florals debuting this spring. "I love 18th- and 19th-century botanical illustrations," says Redd. "I love the color and detail of the individual plant species and the precise and almost modern way in which they were drawn, usually on white backgrounds in a compellingly graphic manner. I wanted to do a fabric inspired by this aesthetic, but I didn't want it to feel polka-dotty or too derivative."

To achieve this goal, Redd went old-school. He took a dogwood leaf print he had in his home, photographed it, photocopied it in varying sizes, and hand-cut and pasted it to create an allover pattern. He brought this assemblage into a design meeting with Schumacher senior textile designer Hilary Pharr, who worked with him to translate it into a textile pattern. "Miles had a very clear idea of the style and character he wanted in the final design," Pharr says. "I ended up hand-drawing and painting the design in a large, airy repeat. It was thrilling to work with his unique vision and his contagious enthusiasm, and to see how the whole collection came to life.”

The pattern's three final colorways.

The result, a lyrical yet bold motif in three subdued colorways (ivory, aqua, and grisaille), incorporates the essence of Redd's botanical print in a thoroughly modern interpretation. Suffice it to say, Redd was pleased with the outcome: "Schumacher took my crude collage and turned it into what I hope will become a modern classic," he says. "The beautiful shades of spring green on fresh clear grounds of white, pale blue, and feather gray are modern WASP, and everything I love."

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